Detectives: Vista, Oceanside heists may be linked

VISTA -- San Diego County Sheriff's Department detectives are
investigating whether a Friday night robbery in Vista may be
connected to an attempted liquor store heist in Oceanside.

The Vista robbery occurred at 8:55 p.m. at the El Torito Foods
store at 249 Emerald Drive, sheriff's Lt. Dennis Brugos said. Two
black men entered the store, confronted the cashier and demanded
all the cash from his drawer.

They fired two shots into the ceiling before the cashier handed
over an undetermined amount of cash, Brugos said.

The men fled to an adjacent apartment complex at 333 Emerald
Drive, where a witness saw them enter a van and drive off, Brugos
said.

About 10 that same evening, a black man entered the Corner
Liquor & Deli store at Oceanside Boulevard and Camelot Drive,
Oceanside police Sgt. Mike Goldsmith said. No customers were in the
store at the time, and the clerks were in the back.

The suspect fired two shots into the ceiling and fled without
any cash, the sergeant said.

One of the Vista suspects was described as chubby, while the
other, a heavy-set man, was wearing a gray, hooded sweat shirt and
blue jeans. The Oceanside suspect also was described as a heavy-set
man.